When You Wish Upon a Star
by thecrazyflutist442
Summary: After living in the barn together for a while, Peridot and Lapis decide they want a family. But adopting a child is expensive. What will happen when they decide to wish upon a star and find Lapis pregnant?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Hey, Lapis!" greeted Peridot as she walked into the barn the two gems lived in together. "There's a new season of Camp Pining Hearts out!" Peridot waved the DVD disc of the new episodes in the blue gem's face. The latter wrinkled her nose and pushed the DVD out of her face to get a better look.

"Um, cool. Hey, I was kinda, sorta, in the middle of something, so..." Lapis trailed off, looking at Peridot meaningfully.

"What were you in the middle of?" asked the short green gem, knitting her eyebrows.

"Cleaning. You should see how dirty this barn floor actually is. Actually, don't. It's disgusting," replied Lapis. She waved her hand at a nearby bucket of cleaning solution and maneuvered it with her hydrokinesis powers to spread itself on the floor and scrub at the stubborn layer of dirt and grime.

"So... do you... want to watch?" asked Peridot awkwardly as Lapis controlled the floating cleaning solution so it splashed back into the bucket.

"Uh, I guess. This floor is seriously disgusting," said Lapis with a little grin. She summoned her water wings and took Peridot by the shoulders. Together they flew up to their favorite place to watch Camp Pining Hearts: the truck that had been stuck into the barn and converted into a cozy viewing area. Lapis plopped Peridot down onto the floor of the truck, then gracefully sat herself as her water wings disappeared. Peridot slid the disc into the DVD player and switched on the TV.

The opening theme of Camp Pining Hearts blared on as the two gems got settled among the various pillows and cushions.

"Aww, another flashback episode?" said Peridot in annoyance as the show began. "I'm tired of seeing the characters as these tiny, strange looking infants in those... what are they called... puffy white baby pants?"

"You mean diapers?" chuckled Lapis, snorting a bit as she laughed.

"Goo. Gah goo gahhhhh!" screamed the baby on-screen.

"But yeah, I totally agree with you. There's way too many baby episodes. Strangely." said Lapis, crossing one leg over the other. "There's something about it, though..."

"You...stole...my blankie!" yelled the baby in Camp Pining Hearts.

"What do you mean?" Peridot paused the show and looked at the blue gem next to her.

"I mean, I'm glad we're here together, but...it gets lonely sometimes. That's why we tried with the corn. And that obviously didn't work. And we do have Pumpkin, but... I don't know. He can't exactly talk to us or anything." explained Lapis.

"So, what does that have to do with Camp Pining Hearts?" asked Peridot, still confused.

"Well, even though the babies can be a pain in the neck for the adults, they do make life more interesting..." said Lapis with a sigh.

"So we should plant more seeds and grow humans instead of corn?" inquired Peridot, even more befuddled then before.

"Well, I don't think that's how it works..." said Lapis.

"I've thought about that too. It does get lonely around here sometimes," said Peridot, shifting spots on her seat. "It would be nice to have a little...um, infant thing, to give us some company."

"Yeah, but how do we get one?" asked Lapis. "I'm actually not that sure."

"Uh...plant them?" guessed Peridot with a shrug.

"I'm pretty sure that's not it. Maybe we could ask Steven." suggested Lapis.

"Wait! We need to finish this CPH episode first!" cried Peridot, grabbing Lapis's skirt before the latter could fly away.

oooOOOooo

"So, how exactly could we get a...baby?" Lapis asked as she sat on the beige couch in the gem temple. Steven thought before answering.

"Well, you could have it yourself, but I'm not sure that would work, like my mom... oh, you could adopt a baby!" he said, snapping his fingers as he came up with the answer.

"OK, well, where could we adopt one?" asked Lapis. Peridot, sitting beside her, kicked her legs in excitement.

"Um...the orphanage, I guess," answered Steven.

"When can we go?" demanded Peridot quickly.

oooOOOooo

"And you're looking to adopt a young child?" inquired the woman behind the orphanage counter.

"Um, yes, we are." responded Lapis. Peridot gave a vigorous nod. The woman stared at her computer screen for a bit, then spoke.

"There will be a fee to adopt, as we need money to keep this orphanage facility running."

"How much is this fee?" asked Peridot, looking at the woman.

"About $1,000," replied the woman. Lapis and Peridot's eyes widened.

"I don't think we can afford that..." uttered Lapis, her voice sounding sad.

"Then I'm sorry, but you cannot adopt a child," repeated the woman. Lapis sighed and put a hand over her face. Peridot looked devastated and a bit angry. In a split second, Lapis stood up straight again.

"OK. Thank you for your time." She grabbed Peridot by the wrist, and half-led, half-dragged her out the door. Once outside, she summoned her water wings and held Peridot by the arms. As she took off, her expression hardened into one of rage.

"We were so close!" she ranted to no one in particular as she flapped her wings almost viciously. "And we seriously have to pay a fee? All this for some company when we could just ask Steven over!" She shook her head angrily.

"Uh, Lapis, you're squeezing my wrists awfully tight. It kind of hurts," Peridot called from below. Lapis grumbled and loosened her grip a small amount.

"Look, Lapis. It's not over. We'll find another way," added Peridot.

"Yeah, we will. What was the other way Steven said there was to get a baby?" said Lapis.

"To have it yourself?" remembered Peridot.

"Then we're going to figure out how to do that and we're going to get this baby!" said Lapis in determination. "I'm so sure of this!"

oooOOOooo

"Yeah, I'm not so sure of this." said Lapis, looking unamused. "This is creepy now that I know about it."

"Well, this is how babies are made..." said Steven, blushing.

"I am not doing this." said Lapis, pointing at the diagram of a cartoon pregnant woman. "Human body systems are so weird...and gross."

"How does the baby even get in there?" asked Peridot. Steven blushed even darker.

"Uhhh. That's, uh, a topic for another time," he said awkwardly. "Well, there's really no other way to have a baby unless you adopt."

"Which we can't do." sighed Lapis. "I guess we don't really need this baby. Just an idea..." She looked extremely sad. Peridot did as well.

"I'm really sorry, guys. I was looking forward to being a kind-of-sort-of-uncle," comforted Steven.

"Come on, Peridot. Back to the barn, I guess." Lapis said gloomily. "Bye, Steven. Thanks for your help."

oooOOOooo

Late that night, long after Lapis had fallen asleep, Peridot creeped out of the barn. Standing on a spare piece of scrap metal, she levitated the metal upwards like an elevator to the truck where they watched Camp Pining Hearts. She quietly stepped off the metal and onto the truck. She took a seat, staring up at the seemingly endless sky of stars. As Garnet had pointed out when she first started living in the barn, a sparkling clump of brighter stars was identifiable as Homeworld Galaxy.

As Peridot looked at each shining star, one stood out in particular: it moved. A shooting star. Peridot followed it with her eyes. She remembered what Steven had often said when he noticed a shooting star in the night sky.

 _Make a wish!_

She continued following the star with her gaze as she formulated exactly the right words in her head.

 _I wish that Lapis and I could have a baby like we want. I wish Lapis would stop being so sad, because it makes me sad when she's sad. Anyway, I wish to not be lonely anymore. I wish this baby would make a little family. And I wish everything would turn out OK._

Satisfied, she let out a sad little sigh as she recalled the recent events. She hoped her wish would be sufficient enough to create a little family as well as a little happiness.

 **A/N: Well! There it is. I think it moves a bit too fast and it's too short for my liking, but it gets the point across. This story might end up great, or horrible. Let's find out! Please favorite, follow, and review if you liked it. I really appreciate all favorites and reviews! Thanks! Bye for now.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Review responses! At the beginning of each chapter I'll address a quick author's note to responding to any new reviews I got on the story.**

 **Missingno50: Does that show as the cover image? It's my profile picture, so I think it shows as the cover image if I leave the cover image blank in settings. I'll try to put an actual cover image on here so that doesn't happen. Problem is, I'm horrible at drawing Lapis's hair, LOL xD.**

Chapter Two

About three months later, Lapis rolled out of bed feeling absolutely horrible. Usually sleeping made her feel refreshed and calm, but for some reason she felt like throwing up. She dragged herself out of the hammock where she slept and staggered around to find Peridot.

"Peridot," she called groggily, lugging her feet along as if they were made of lead instead of simply a projection of light. Another wave of nausea swept over her as she pulled her aching body around the barn. "Peridot, where are you?"

The small green gem in question was busy sizzling some squishy-looking scrambled eggs on a pan over one of the many ovens in the barn. As she wiggled the pan, the yellow mixture wobbled.

"Hey, Lapis!" exclaimed Peridot, jiggling the egg pan in front of Lapis. "I figured out how to make eggs!" Lapis stared at the unappetizing glob in the pan. Looking at the revolting, sloppy eggs made her stomach churn even more than before. She drew back in disgust, wrinkling her nose.

"Um, that's great." said Lapis sarcastically. Luckily, Peridot missed the sarcasm and continued wobbling the pan. When the eggs quivered in response to this movement, Lapis's stomach knotted again and she rushed to the empty bucket that had previously held yesterday's cleaning solution. Under Peridot's concerned watch, though Lapis was extremely embarrassed, she kneeled down and vomited into the bucket. When Peridot realized what was going on, she quickly set down the egg pan and rushed over.

"Lapis, what's-" Peridot began, then paused when she saw Lapis's mortified expression. Lapis stood up, wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, and covered her face in embarrassment. Before Peridot could say or do anything, Lapis took the soiled bucket, carried it outside and poured the contents in the dirt, kicking loose dust over it. When she finished, she controlled a bubble of water from their outdoor pool to clean out the bucket, then carried it inside. Peridot looked on in confusion as the tall blue gem set the bucket down and laid on the hammock tiredly with her back to Peridot.

"Um... Lapis, are you all right?" asked Peridot awkwardly, tapping the former's shoulder. Lapis gave a short, slight shake of her head in response.

"What's wrong, then?" inquired Peridot. Lapis rolled over on the hammock so she was facing Peridot.

"I really don't know," she said. Her voice sounded a bit raspy and definitely sick. Suddenly Peridot remembered something.

 _One of the things the book said was a symptom of pregnancy is vomiting._

Looking at Lapis with sudden surprise, Peridot put two thoughts together.

 _The wish! I wished we would get that baby. And now Lapis is showing signs of pregnancy..._

Peridot gasped out loud, causing Lapis to look quizzically in her direction.

"Lapis," said Peridot suddenly, "How would you feel if we got that baby after all?"

"Happy, I guess. Why?"

"Well, I don't know for sure yet, but I think you're pregnant!" As Peridot said this, Lapis's eyes widened with realization.

"Is there a way to know for sure?" asked Lapis, a rare smile creeping across her lips.

"I don't know. I think the books said you can take a test or something," answered Peridot.

"OK, I'll do it," said Lapis.

oooOOOooo

"OK, so I do what now?" shouted Lapis through the bathroom door. Peridot checked the box the pregnancy test came in for instructions.

"You, um...how do I say this..." Peridot checked the box again. "You have to, um...you know what, I'll just give you the box." Lapis opened the door a crack and stuck out a blue-skinned hand to take the box.

Peridot waited for what seemed like an eternity. No sound came from the bathroom, and Peridot was about to ask if Lapis was OK when the latter spoke.

"Peridot!" The door flew open and Lapis, her face lit up, practically danced out.

"Look!" Lapis held out the test for Peridot to see. In the little white spot where the result appeared was a little blue plus sign.

oooOOOooo

Sitting on the hammock once again, Lapis looked down at her now-flat midsection, stroking it as if it were the actual baby.

Soon, however, the hammock rocked a bit and her stomach gave yet another painful jolt.

"Bucket! Bucket!" she shouted frantically. Understanding, Peridot rushed to grab the cleaning-solution-turned-barf bucket and brought it to the side of the hammock. Lapis grabbed it gratefully and promptly was sick.

A bitter, acidic taste in her mouth, Lapis sat up and made eye contact with the green gem standing in front of her. As soon as their eyes met, Lapis began uncontrollably laughing. Peridot raised an eyebrow, puzzled. Lapis fought to control her laughter to explain to her.

"This- this is just so weird!" she managed between bouts of giggles. "We're literally living in a barn, on Earth, and now a baby?" Several snorts intermingled with her laughter. Peridot attempted a couple fake chuckles for Lapis's sake, but really didn't understand what was so hilariously funny.

All of a sudden, Lapis abruptly stopped laughing.

"This is gonna be a lot of work."

oooOOOooo

Lapis, having fallen asleep for a probably long nap due to her condition, had left Peridot with lots of free time on her hands. She had already played with Pumpkin, redecorated various parts of the barn, watched a handful of her favorite Camp Pining Hearts episodes, and recorded several logs about how bored she was on her tape recorder. There was simply nothing left to do. With Lapis asleep and Pumpkin nowhere to be found, she was alone with only her own thoughts.

She tried using their shared laptop to video chat with Steven. He didn't pick up. She tried seeing how many metal nails she could levitate at a time. That got old fast. She tried cooking more eggs. They tasted like rubber. She tried brainstorming baby names. None came to mind. She was going to try poking Lapis to wake her up, then thought better of it and went back to cooking eggs. They still tasted like rubber.

Peridot finally slumped on a chair with a sigh, defeated. There was, quite literally, not a thing to do. She eventually turned to her mind to provide her with entertainment.

 _Is Lapis going to be all right?_

She shook the thought away, not wanting to trouble herself with all the bad scenarios that could take place.

 _Is the baby going to be all right?_

Another one. She bopped a fist on her triangular-shaped hair to clear the thought.

 _What if one of them dies?_

Peridot grumbled and shook her head repeatedly. No matter how hard she tried to think positive, the bad thoughts always crept in like stealthy little spiders.

 _Rose died when she had Steven. So why not Lapis as well?_ her mind reasoned.

Peridot pounded on her head with both hands.

 _What if Lapis dies and then the baby dies?_ her mind shot back.

She thumped her head on the ground several times.

 _What if Lapis dies and the baby dies and everyone in the world dies?_

Peridot picked up a nearby baseball bat and was about to hit herself on the head with it when she heard a familiar voice.

"Peridot, don't." said Lapis, watching the little green gem brandish the bat above her own head. "You'll give yourself a concussion, or worse." The tall, slender blue gem was leaning against a wall, arms crossed over her chest.

Peridot lowered the bat and looked at Lapis.

"I was just...thinking. I'm not sure how we're going to make this work." confided Peridot. The other gem's face fell.

"I know. I don't even know how this is gonna work," she said, caressing her stomach lovingly. "But we have to do this for the baby. I honestly might die. But if it helps give new life..." She paused. "Then it's for the best. And think of all the fun times you could have with a little, precious baby! I'm really just one gem out of millions!"

Surprisingly, tears gathered in Peridot's dark eyes.

"But Lapis...you're not just another gem. You're my gem. You're my Lapis." Peridot wrapped her arms tightly around Lapis's waist in a warm embrace. Lapis joined the hug with a small smile.

"We'll find a way to get through this. From now on, it's all about our kid," she said, patting Peridot's back reassuringly. Peridot gave a determined nod.

"We should talk to Steven. He probably knows how to do this kind of thing." said Lapis. She sat on the hammock again as a painful throbbing sensation overtook her insides. Peridot took a seat next to her, putting a gentle hand on Lapis's stomach.

"Have I ever said I love you?" asked Peridot. Lapis chuckled.

"You just did. And I love you too."

 **A/N: Yay! Lapis is expecting! I liked this chapter, plus I got a chance to incorporate some Lapidot fluff as well. Please bear with me if they seem a bit out-of-character, I'm trying my best and they mostly stay true to the original. This doesn't really follow much of the canon show, but it definitely takes place after Gem Harvest as Pumpkin is in the story. Thanks for reading; please favorite, follow, and review if you enjoyed!**

 **Me: Guys, I just heard a wolf noise!**

 **Peridot: And why do I care?**

 **Me: It's a werewolf coming to eat me!**

 **Peridot: *rolls eyes***

 **Werewolf: I'm sorry, reader. pianogal442 has been eaten. From now on, I will be continuing this story-**

 **Me: *climbs out of werewolf's mouth* NOPE werewolves are terrible writers!**

 **Peridot: What on earth?!**

 **Me: Yeah, this is what happens when I write at 11:10 at night instead of sleeping. Anyway, don't forget to favorite, follow, and review if you enjoyed! Bye for now!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Review Responses!**

 **Guest: Thanks so much! I'll try very hard to have lots of new chapters out soon.**

Chapter 3

Peridot, after much trial and error, had finally perfected the long-awaited scrambled eggs. From the squishy, jiggly, overly moist eggs to the chewy, rubber tire-like ones, there had been many failed attempts. But at long last, Peridot had managed to cook flawless scrambled eggs, which she now set before Lapis on a fancy porcelain plate she had dug out of the many random objects in their home.

"Ooh, very nice." Lapis nodded as she tasted the meal. "But why eggs? Why scrambled? And why for dinner? We don't even eat dinner, usually."

"It's the only thing I've seen Steven make besides canned soup. And I'm not sure where to get canned soup from," answered Peridot, sitting next to Lapis at the dinner table they had recently added.

A small bark alerted the two gems to Pumpkin's presence under the table. The little gourd dog rolled around, barking and playing until he bumped into a certain cleaning-turned-vomit bucket, sending it sliding across the floor and coming to a halt by Lapis's leg.

The bucket had long since been abandoned from its original use for cleaning products and was now used solely as a barf bucket. Peridot had taped a large paper sign labeled 'Sick Bucket' on it, and it was kept out at all times in case Lapis needed it.

"I'm really starting to hate that bucket," remarked Lapis, kicking the object back over to Pumpkin. "I mean, does it really have to be here while I'm eating?" Pumpkin barked and rolled the bucket back to Lapis, who grunted and kicked it back.

"Why does it matter?" asked Peridot, shoveling eggs into her mouth. Lapis grimaced.

"Um, maybe because I throw up in it?" Lapis deadpanned, wrinkling her nose. "Which is just gross when I'm trying to eat!" Pumpkin gave a whimper and tapped the bucket onto its side. Then he proceeded to give it a bump with a paw and it skittered back over to Lapis. She was about to kick it back when Peridot interrupted.

"Stop kicking it back to him. He thinks it's a game."

"Don't tell me what to do!" Lapis burst out before she could stop herself. Peridot looked surprised and a bit hurt. Lapis put a hand over her mouth in shock, then uncovered it. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"I think you meant it." said Peridot, her expression changing to one of anger. She pushed her plate of scrambled eggs away, practically leaped out of her chair, and stomped away to do who-knows-what. Lapis put her head in her hands with a long, loud sigh.

"What is wrong with me?"

oooOOOooo

After storming off from the table, Peridot rushed out of the barn as fast as possible.

"That. Little. CLOD!" she hissed furiously through her tightly clenched teeth. "Clod, clod, clod! Lapis is a clod! Everyone's a clod!" She let out a frustrated growl and kicked a nearby piece of sheet metal. The sheet metal fell with a bang, revealing a DVD case hidden underneath. Peridot picked it up and read the cover. It was the new Camp Pining Hearts DVD her and Lapis had been watching before any of this mess started.

Getting a sudden idea, Peridot stood on the sheet metal and used it to lift herself up to the truck suspended on the barn. She slid the DVD into its slot in the player and switched on the TV. On-screen, two women were talking. Peridot recognized them as Percy's mother and aunt. Percy's mother was very noticeably pregnant, no doubt with the chunky blond star of CPH himself.

"I hate you, Penelope! You're a stuck-up, selfish jerk!" shouted Percy's mother.

"You are as well, Pamela; you only care about yourself!" shot back Penelope, the aunt.

"Well, maybe it's because I'm pregnant, you idiot!" screeched Pamela, holding her hands in an almost protective way over the bulge in her stomach.

 _Seems familiar..._ thought Peridot. _But what does saying things like that have to do with being pregnant?_

oooOOOooo

Peridot walked out of the public library carrying a huge stack of books, specifically about pregnancy. The librarian had kindly asked if she was expecting, which was hilarious. She had told the librarian no, and did her trademark cackle in her head. What an odd idea!

Just like Steven had explained about books, Peridot opened the first book, _So You're Pregnant! Your Guide to Motherhood_ and flipped to the table of contents page.

 _Symptoms of Pregnancy..._ Where was it? She read several of the other topics.

 _Foreword, Eating Right, blah blah blah..._

Aha, there it was! _Pregnancy Symptoms_ was printed in large bold letters.

 _Page 16,_ she read. She thumbed through the pages until she came to the chapter she was looking for.

 _Some common symptoms of pregnancy may include:_

 _Abdominal Growth_

 _Nausea and Vomiting_

 _Fatigue_

 _Strange Cravings_

 _Unusual Behavior and Mood Swings_

"Hmm..." Peridot said as she read through the list. When she got to the last bullet point, she was immediately hit with remorse.

"Aww...She can't even help it and I yelled at her..." Peridot realized with a frown. She quickly shut the book and left the pile of pregnancy guides sitting in the Camp Pining Hearts viewing truck. Using the scrap metal to levitate down, she scurried in the barn as fast as her short little legs could go.

"LapisLapisLapisI'msosorrypleaseforgivemeIdidn'tknowthatyougetmoodswingswhenyou'repregnantI'msorryI'msorryI'msorry!" she gushed in a continuous stream of words. Lapis glanced up. Her eyes were rimmed with red, like she had been crying. When she saw Peridot, she gave a small sniff and wiped her eyes.

"No, it's my fault, not yours," she said, resting her chin on her hands. "I said it, I should have thought about it first." She sniffed again. Peridot rushed over to embrace the sad Lapis.

As Lapis returned the hug, Peridot happened to look over at the table, rather, the two empty plates on top of it. Confused, she broke away from the hug.

"What happened to my eggs?" asked Peridot, tilting her head. Lapis blushed.

"Um...I ate them," she confessed with a small laugh. "Eating for two, I guess?" Peridot began to laugh along with her, even though she knew Lapis didn't really need to eat.

"But seriously, I need to make myself more eggs," Peridot remarked as she strolled over to the stove they had salvaged from some of the junk in Amethyst's room.

Lapis gazed at Pumpkin while the little gourd dog played with the 'Sick Bucket'. She smiled when he rolled it towards her. Stopping it with her shoeless foot, she then sent it skittering across the floor back towards him. He yapped happily and nudged it back. Lapis, her grin slowly growing wider, gave it her best kick. The bucket flew straight over Pumpkin and landed on a nearby stack of CPH cassettes. The little dog retrieved it with excitement, holding the handle in his mouth. Before he could roll it back to Lapis, Peridot walked in, frustrated and holding a plate full of scrambled eggs.

"Soggy on one side and rubbery on the other," she grumbled, slamming the plate down on the table. "Its seems the perfect eggs were too good to be true."

"I'll take them!" exclaimed Lapis, raising a hand to claim the eggs. She grabbed the full plate from Peridot, picked up her fork, and began eating the eggs. Peridot looked on in revulsion.

"Lapis, you have never disgusted me more," she groaned as Lapis continued to shovel the mistake eggs into her mouth.

"Hey, I think they're good!" Lapis said defensively through a mouth filled with eggs. Peridot stuck out her tongue to express the grossness of the situation.

"Yeah, I'm totally gonna need that 'Sick Bucket' tonight," Lapis declared after swallowing her huge mouthful.

 **A/N: Ew. Those disgusting eggs though. I re-read Chapter Two this morning and then my family had eggs for breakfast. The whole time I was thinking about my descriptions "unappetizing blob", "revolting, sloppy eggs", and the fact that they "wobbled", and I almost pulled a Lapis and barfed in the trash can. Yuck! Please don't ask me why Peridot has such an obsession with scrambled eggs. I think it's partly based on the fact that when I was little, I tried to make scrambled eggs sometimes, but they always turned out either soggy or rubbery. Also, did you guys notice the STELLAR cover image? (LOL I like it but...) I drew it myself! Please favorite, follow, and review if you enjoyed the story! I also really appreciate constructive criticism to help improve my writing. I read and respond to all reviews, so feel free to ask questions if you have them.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Review Responses!**

 **excentricaluli: Thanks so much! I'm glad you like it and will have more chapters out as soon as I can! :)**

 **If I Could Begin To Be: Thanks! I try.**

 **ali2331: Thank you!**

 **Thundercatlost: Haha, thanks. I've been trying really hard to keep them in character, it's pretty difficult. What I do is imagine the character's voices in my head, saying the dialogue, and I write their lines accordingly. I'm excited to write this as well! By the way, I read your story and I really enjoyed it! :D**

Chapter 4

Lapis and Peridot walked next to each other, the shorter gem carrying Pumpkin like a baby. Good practice, she figured. She would have to hold their real baby at some point. She glanced over at Lapis, who didn't notice Peridot staring. Lapis's stomach was still flat, so no one could have guessed she was pregnant yet at first glance. Perfect. Their plan would work.

oooOOOooo

The couple strolled up the sandy beach towards the gem temple. Today they would be revealing what they had been hiding for a while: the child.

Peridot peeked at Lapis again, who looked tired more tired than she ever had before.

"Are you OK, Lapis?" she asked, concerned. Pumpkin gave a worried whimper from Peridot's arms. Upon Lapis's sigh, the short green gem averted her eyes from her partner quickly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit... tired," Lapis answered. "The whole fatigue thing is hitting me hard, I guess." She stared off into the ocean as they walked up to the little wooden house built in the temple's stone arms. Peridot was about to knock on the door, but it burst open seemingly of its own accord before she could.

"They're here!" shouted a familiar childlike voice. Steven dashed outside to greet them. He wrapped his arms around Peridot in a tight embrace that left the latter gasping for breath. He turned and was about to do the same to Lapis, but she held an arm out hurriedly to stop him.

"I, um, can't take hugs at the moment," she blurted swiftly, giving Steven a pat on the head. Peridot noticed her cheeks had blushed a deep blue when she practically scurried inside to avoid making eye contact with anyone.

When Peridot entered the house, she immediately saw Lapis sitting on the couch looking extremely embarrassed. Pearl approached the two to welcome them.

"Hello, Peridot! Hello, Lapis! What brings you here so late?" she asked. Peridot noticed she had her spear out, and she held it at her side with the bottom of the shaft resting on the ground.

"Steven invited us, but there were some... minor complications getting here." _Minor complications being_ _ **someone**_ _was too tired to walk properly,_ she thought. _Not that I hold it against her._ "What's with the spear?" Peridot inquired, gesturing at said weapon. Pearl looked at it, then smiled.

"Oh, this? Garnet, Amethyst and I just got back from a mission. Steven stayed home waiting for you to get here," answered Pearl as her spear disappeared in a burst of light. Peridot looked over at where Lapis was sitting, looking a bit queasy. Steven plopped on the couch next to the blue gem with a grin. With the sudden bounce of the couch, Lapis clutched her stomach. She looked at Steven awkwardly.

"Um, can I maybe... use your bathroom?" she asked, her face getting greener by the second. Steven nodded, confused. Lapis rushed into the bathroom with a slam of the door. Peridot looked at the bathroom door worriedly.

"Is she OK?" asked Steven. "She looked really sick." Peridot thought for a moment, desperately trying to think of an answer that wouldn't give away their surprise.

"Yeah, she just ate some...rotten...scrambled eggs...?" she fibbed. Steven nodded like he understood, but Peridot could tell he didn't believe her.

When Lapis emerged from the bathroom, wiping her mouth, Peridot briskly pulled her aside.

"Lapis, were you throwing up again?" she asked with concern. Lapis didn't meet her eyes.

"No..." She tried lying. Peridot rolled her eyes.

"I'm too smart for that." Peridot tried again to make eye contact with Lapis, who looked off to one side.

"Fine, I was. But please stop worrying about me!" said Lapis as she crossed her arms over her chest. She glanced at Peridot, and for a split second their eyes finally met. Peridot read the misery in Lapis's eyes, mixed together with some fear and a lot of pain.

"But how can I stop worrying if you won't stop being sick?" she asked her partner, who turned away so she was facing the wall.

"Is everything OK here?" questioned Steven, approaching the pair. Upon seeing their looks, he obviously regretted his decision. "Uh, did I walk in at the wrong time?"

Peridot sighed and then spoke.

"Lapis and I have something to announce."

oooOOOooo

Lapis, Peridot, Steven, and the other three Crystal Gems sat together in the front room. Lapis, Steven, and Pearl sat on the couch, Garnet and Amethyst sat on the floor nearby, and Peridot stood next to where Lapis was sitting. Lapis slowly stood up beside Peridot.

"We...have an announcement..." declared Peridot.

"Yeah, we know." Amethyst shoved an entire foot-long sub sandwich down her throat, then licked the sauce off her fingers.

"You know already?" said Peridot in shock. "Well, then why are we even doing this whole thing to tell you?!" She began to pace around the room, clutching her triangular hair.

"No, no, we know you have an announcement," chuckled Amethyst. Peridot's stiff shoulders relaxed and she stopped in her tracks.

"Oh." She brushed her hands together as if wiping dust off of them. "I knew that."

"Well, anyway, it's really important to us and I hope it will be to you, too," added Lapis. Peridot elbowed her arm gently. "I mean, WE hope that." Pumpkin barked and hopped up to sit next to Steven on the couch.

"So our big announcement is..." Peridot looked around.

"Dude, just tell us already!" said Amethyst impatiently.

"Lapis is pregnant!" declared Peridot with a huge grin. Lapis beamed as well. The rest of the group looked shocked. Finally Steven broke the silence.

"I'm gonna be a kind-of-sort-of-uncle after all!" he exclaimed with a wide smile. He reached over and hugged them both. "I'm so happy for you guys!"

"So, not to be rude, but how did you..." Pearl asked, trailing off.

"I wished on a star," Peridot said matter-of-factly. Amethyst burst out laughing.

"What? You can't wish on a star and have a baby!" she chuckled. Peridot blushed.

"Well- I did!" she defended. Amethyst wiped away a tear of laughter from the corner of her eye.

"OK, OK, I get it!" she laughed, but Peridot heard the amusement in her voice. Steven was busy examining Lapis's stomach. Lapis laughed as Steven tickled her midsection.

"So when's the due date?" he asked, looking up at her. He saw her eyes widen.

"Um..." She thought for a bit. "I don't know. How do I figure that out?"

"Well, you have to go to the doctor, get a whole checkup, that kind of thing," answered Steven.

"I'm not doing that," Lapis remarked stubbornly and crossed her arms. She rubbed her stomach gently. "I can probably guess about when the baby will come." Steven nodded.

"I can't wait to be a kind-of-sort-of-uncle!" he said with a grin. "Have you thought of any names yet?" At this, Lapis was once again baffled by the question.

"Um, not yet. We only found out about the baby about a week ago." She took a seat on the couch and Steven promptly sat next to her. Amongst the noise from the others as Peridot talked excitedly to the Crystal Gems, Lapis and Steven just sat in silence. He was out of questions to ask and she was out of things to discuss. They were both in deep thought.

"Are you going to live?" When Lapis heard this, she looked over at Steven. He was staring at her with his shiny dark eyes, and she recognized sadness in them. Sighing, she tried to formulate an answer in her head and failed.

"Steven..." She caught the depressed expression on his face and felt as if he had transferred some of his sadness to her. "Peridot and I already discussed this. I... I really don't know." She looked awkwardly down at her feet.

"This is why I said I thought this wouldn't work earlier," Steven replied. "This is gonna be my mom all over again!" He buried his head in his hands, and Lapis immediately wished she had lied to spare him the grief.

"Listen, Steven." She put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You saved me from being trapped in that mirror, and I can't just let you down. I'm gonna find a way to have this baby and live to tell about it!" Steven looked up hopefully.

"Really?"

"Really!" All the former fear and uncertainty disappeared and gave way to a new confidence. "I think there has to be a way to do it."

oooOOOooo

"I got it, I got it!" shouted Steven, running to hit the volleyball. It soared back over the net towards the Crystal Gems. Amethyst slid on the sand to stop the ball from hitting the ground, and bopped it over to the other side. Peridot lunged forward and smacked the ball over the net. Every time the ball flew toward Lapis's side of the net, she got more and more nervous for her baby and what would happen if she got hit by the ball.

Pearl hit the ball almost delicately, and it soared over to the other side. Lapis glanced up, and it was headed straight for her. With a squeak of surprise, she hopped out of harm's way. Steven leaped over to hit the ball back. Embarrassed, Lapis smoothed her dress.

"I think I should sit this game out," she declared, walking off the court. Steven watched her leave sadly. As he stared, the ball came down next to him and landed on the court.

"Point us!" yelled Amethyst from the other side of the court. Ignoring this, Steven and Peridot ran over to check on Lapis.

"Are you forfeiting?" Amethyst shrieked after them.

"Lapis, what's wrong?" asked Peridot worriedly. She sat down next to Lapis, who buried her head in her hands. Peridot groaned.

"I despise it when you put your head in your hands like that. You're not acting all moody and irritable again, are you?" she asked, looking at her partner with an annoyed expression on her face. Lapis gave a little snort of laughter and looked up. There was a smudge on her face.

"No, no! I got mud on my face," she chuckled, wiping away the smudge. Peridot smiled at her own mistake. She helped Lapis off the ground and followed her inside the house. Steven trailed behind the pair. Garnet carried the ball inside as Pearl and Amethyst folded up the net and put it away.

"I'm really sorry I ruined the volleyball game," Lapis apologized as they walked in.

"No, it's fine. You didn't ruin it," Peridot replied, smiling. "Maybe someday we can play another game, with the baby." At this, Lapis grinned.

"Maybe so." She rubbed her stomach softly. "Maybe so."

 **A/N: Yay, another chapter! And now the Crystal Gems know about the new baby as well! I might be biased because I wrote it, but I thought Steven's reaction was pretty cute. I'm sorry I didn't have much of the Crystal Gems in this chapter, I will try to include them more in future chapters. Don't forget to favorite, follow, and review if you enjoyed! See you next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Review Responses!**

 **excentricaluli: No problem! I'm glad you like it.**

 **If I Could Begin To Be: Haha, I'm glad he asked for you. Sadly, I can't say if she will or not so as not to spoil the ending, but I'll try to keep the story as happy as possible!**

It had been a month full of change. Summer ended, and the groups of kids that sometimes gathered in different places of Beach City were gone, most likely off to school. The air grew colder and the wind blew more often. The green and yellow hues of leaves changed to vibrant reds, browns, and oranges, then fluttered off trees at the slightest bit of wind.

There was change for Lapis and Peridot as well. Lapis's midsection had swelled a little bit as the baby grew, but her pregnancy was not recognizable quite yet. Peridot spent most of her spare time making plans for how to decorate the baby's room and trying to learn how to cook. The house often smelled like burnt food and occasionally a nicely cooking meal.

They had made lots of home improvements on the barn also. They had added a room for the baby, of course, and Peridot had built Lapis a private loft room in the barn's attic. The loft contained lots of Lapis's things, like her hammock, the leaf Steven had given her in a wood frame, and a cupboard to put some of her trinkets in. Peridot had also added a room that her and Lapis shared, complete with a bed, a dresser full of various human clothes, and a large, cushioned chair. It was in this chair that Peridot sat now, reading a furniture catalog.

oooOOOooo

 _Brown Leather Sectional Couch...$1500_

 _Tan Colored Lounge...$1200_

 _Style Sleek Couch in River Blue, Forest Green, or Stoney Brown...$1000_

 _Ultra Luxe Lounge Style Couch in Gray, Navy Blue, or Black...$2000_

"Ugh!" roared Peridot, throwing down the catalog. "Why are couches so _expensive?"_ She picked the catalog up and tossed it into the bin they used to store old magazines and catalogs. Settling into the chair angrily, she knocked the bin over with a tap of her foot.

"Cloddy couches! No one even likes couches anyway," she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. "Only cloddy dumb-dumbs sit on couches!"

"Hey, Steven has a couch," deadpanned a voice to her left. Peridot looked up to see Lapis standing there.

"How long have you been there?" she gasped, quickly kicking the catalog bucket to right it again. She sat up straighter in the chair and folded her hands on her lap, trying to look dignified.

"The whole time," replied Lapis with a snicker. Off Peridot's look, she added to her previous statement. "No, I'm just playing. I came over to see why you were kicking the bin over."

"Oh." Peridot looked over at the bin. "Well, you know, um... human... weather reporters say that, er, having a bin in your barn increases the, uh... tornado risk by... 85%!" she hastily threw together. Lapis chuckled in amusement.

"Oh no, tornadoes?" she said sarcastically, waving her hands around. When Peridot didn't laugh, she looked slightly disappointed. "OK. I'll be in my loft if you need me."

oooOOOooo

As Lapis ascended the climb to her loft via water wings, she thought back to what she had jokingly said.

 _Oh no, tornadoes? I know I'm not much of a jokester, but did I honestly think she would think that was funny?_ She scoffed at her own ignorance in her head.

Opening the trapdoor to the loft room, she climbed in. Lapis approached the dangling hammock and sat on it. Lately, the horrible nausea had been mostly relieved and she no longer needed the bucket by her side 24/7, but she was really feeling the effects of the fatigue. Peridot often worried that Lapis slept for hours on end and constantly felt the need to sit down as opposed to stand.

As she laid on the hammock and thought, she realized that her nose was a bit wet. She quickly dismissed the thought with a sniff. Why did noses get wet on Earth anyway? Was she coming down with something? She sniffed again.

 _I wonder what Peridot's doing..._ she thought. _Probably looking in more catalogs to get a cheap couch._ She sniffed a third time, irritated with the runny nose. She looked down at her hands, which she had unknowingly clamped tightly together when she wasn't paying attention to them. She unclasped them and ran her fingers through her hair.

A wet drop ran down her nose. She grumbled in annoyance, tired of the unwanted moisture. She crinkled her face as it dripped onto her shirt, then looked down. The drop was scarlet. As she frantically tried to figure out what was going on, several more red drops joined the first.

"Um, Peridot?" she called desperately, cupping a hand under her face to catch the drops. "I think my nose is bleeding!"

"Huh?" Peridot shouted from below, having not heard what Lapis had said. Lapis found it hard to speak clearly as her nose continued to gush blood.

"I said, I thing by dose is bleedig!" she struggled to say. Blood pooled in her hand.

"What? How can your nose bleed?" yelled Peridot from her chair, putting down the furniture magazine she had been reading.

"I don't dow, but it is! Cad you blease helb be?" she shrieked as blood streamed down her face. Peridot was quick to ascend the ladder to the loft room. She gasped when she saw Lapis's face and hands covered in blood and quickly ran to get her laptop and some tissues.

When she came back up, she was trying to climb while holding a box of tissues and the laptop that was in a video chat with Steven. Lapis rushed over to grab the tissues and help the struggling green gem up the ladder.

"I'm not joking, Peridot, bloody noses are a normal human thing!" said Steven from the laptop screen. "They just happen if you hit your nose on something or maybe if your nose is dried out."

"But why does Lapis have a bloody nose?" asked Peridot frantically. To her side, Lapis pulled a handful of tissues out of the box and held them to her nose.

"I'm not sure. Maybe it's because of the baby? I'll ask my dad," Steven replied. "Bye, I guess. I'll call you back when I have the answer. I hope it stops soon!" The screen went black as he hung up on his end of the call. Peridot sighed and folded up the laptop, then set it on the floor next to her.

Lapis was busy throwing away bloody tissues and getting fresh ones at lightning speed. Peridot grabbed the tissue box and took out a few tissues, handing them to Lapis whenever the latter needed them. The shorter green gem kept glancing expectantly at the laptop, waiting for Steven to call back.

Finally, after about five minutes, the laptop buzzed to signify an incoming call. Peridot handed the tissue box back to Lapis and opened the laptop. After a few seconds of loading, Steven's face appeared on the screen.

"OK, so, I asked my dad, and he said that bloody noses are a common symptom of pregnancy in the fourth and fifth months. So that's probably why Lapis happened to get one," explained Steven. Peridot nodded.

"I thing I amb in the fourth bonth," said Lapis from behind Peridot.

"So how do we get rid of the bloody nose?" asked Peridot.

"Well, whenever I get one I lean forward, pinch the top of my nose, and just hold it there until it stops," he informed them. Lapis adjusted her head forward and pinched the top of her nose, then chuckled.

"I log sooo gread doink this," she said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

"It looks stupid, but it stops the bleeding," laughed Steven.

"Steven, are you ready to go on the mission?" asked Pearl from off screen, on Steven's end of the call. Steven looked back at wherever she was.

"Um, I'm just finishing this video chat with Peridot and Lapis!" he answered. To Peridot, he said, "I have to go, so I guess goodbye! I hope the bloody nose stops soon!" He waved, then the screen went blank again when he hung up.

Within a few minutes of using Steven's method, Lapis's nose had completely stopped bleeding. The trash can was piled high with bloody tissues, and the once-full box had only a couple of tissues left.

Lapis and Peridot both walked outside to their homemade pool, where Lapis used her hydrokinesis to control some of the water into cleaning off her face and hands. Peridot pulled up some chairs and they sat outside, neither one saying anything. A bluebird fluttered by, a twig in its beak. It was probably off to go repair a nest mangled by the wind. Several ants crawled along the pavement. Finally, Peridot broke the silence.

"Lapis...do you ever wonder what's going to happen to us?"

Lapis looked at Peridot, hesitating to answer the question.

"What do you mean?"

"Well... I mean, what will happen to you or the infant? I wonder if everything will be OK," Peridot clarified, crossing one leg over the other.

"We've discussed this. You know what I think already," replied Lapis as she realized they were getting into more serious territory. Peridot didn't seem to be satisfied by that answer.

"But you don't know," she added to her previous statement. "You don't know if you'll survive."

Lapis ignored this, in deep contemplation of what her partner had said.

"Rose Quartz died when she had Steven," Peridot pointed out.

Lapis still said nothing.

"Lapis. You could _die!"_ exclaimed Peridot, frustrated by Lapis's lack of response.

"I know that! And I'm perfectly fine with dying if it means a new little baby for you to love!" Lapis answered confidently. Peridot let out a shaky breath.

"But...maybe I'm not perfectly fine with losing you."

When Lapis glanced at the other, she noticed there were tears in Peridot's eyes. With a sigh, Lapis patted the green gem's shoulder affectionately.

"Look, I'm not good with all this emotional jazz, and I think you know that." She stared into Peridot's eyes, and noticed, for the first time, the presence of many dazzling sparkles in the latter's eyes. "This topic just seems to make us both get all sad and teary, so I think it's best we just let it be, you know what I mean?" Peridot nodded and hastily wiped her eyes.

"Yeah." Peridot sniffed quietly. She looked at her surroundings slowly, as if seeing the world for the first time in her life. "Let's do something...fun."

oooOOOooo

Peridot walked out of the kitchen with the plate in her hands. Lapis, turned around so the dish would be a surprise, wondered what it could be. The cook set down the heavy plate on the table by Lapis.

"You can open your eyes now!"

Lapis turned around to reveal a delicious-looking cake, complete with chocolate icing and tiny fondant flower toppings. Frosted in blue on top were the words, " _For My 'Lil Lappy"._ A grin broke out on Lapis's face when she saw the cake.

"Peridot, did you make this?" she asked in awe, admiring the beautiful dessert.

"I did!" said the gem in question with a proud nod. "And it's just for you and me!" She sat next to her, setting several utensils down as she did so.

"Well, let's eat!"

 **A/N: I just realized that in Chapter 3, Lapis and Pumpkin literally** _ **kick the bucket.**_ **Yikes, how did I not see that before? No, this is not some kind of sly foreshadowing that Lapis and Pumpkin are both going to die, but as I said before, for suspense reasons I can't say whether Lapis is going to live, sadly... *cries*. Also, I made myself hungry for cake. For anyone who is wondering why Lapis and Peridot seem to eat regularly in this story, I can explain. Lapis eats sometimes so the baby gets the food it needs. Peridot eats because she can and she likes to eat with Lapis. Please favorite, follow, and review if you enjoyed! See you next chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Due to popular request, I will be continuing this story! *cue cheer* I re-read all the earlier chapters to refresh myself on them and I believe I can start again from where I left off. I hope you enjoy this much-prolonged chapter and the ones to come!**

"This is so exciting!" squealed Steven, looking around at all the baby furniture with stars in his eyes. He giggled as he touched each and every crib, playpen, and changing table within the first aisle of the store. Peridot and Lapis followed the energetic boy, apologizing to anyone who looked annoyed by him.

Steven poked the bedding in one of the cribs with a grin, then scurried off to check out some of the play areas for sale. A nearby salesman grumbled. When he noticed that Lapis and Peridot were trailing behind Steven, he hurried over to talk to them.

"Please, control your son!" he scolded, wiping his sweaty bald head with a handkerchief. Peridot and Lapis looked at each other in confusion.

"What do you mean?" asked Peridot, placing a protective hand on Lapis's slightly swollen belly. "He's not doing anything wrong! And how do you know it's a boy?" The salesman looked befuddled, then realized the mistake.

"You misunderstand. I mean your older son," he said, gesturing to where Steven was dashing excitedly around the diaper section. Peridot raised an eyebrow.

"We don't have an older son," she replied to the salesman, who dabbed furiously at his glistening head with the handkerchief.

"Him!" he roared, pointing at Steven.

"Oh, he's not our son. He's just here with us to help pick out some baby furniture," said Lapis calmly, causing the salesman's face to turn a brilliant shade of red.

"THEN PLEASE JUST CONTROL YOUR...um... SMALL COMPANION!" shouted the salesman at the top of his lungs, finally losing his temper. All the nearby shoppers turned their heads to look at him. One baby in a stroller began to wail. Embarrassed, the salesman started to sweat even more.

"Get out of this store!" he spat at Peridot and Lapis, taking slow, shaky, irritated breaths. "Get out of this store and don't you DARE come back!" With this, he thrust an enraged, pointing finger into Lapis's chest. Peridot gasped in surprise and anger. Acting on pure instinct, she threw her arms out in front of her and a metal shopping basket went flying.

The various customers stared, gasped, and pointed as the basket soared towards the salesman, as if in slow motion. The salesman himself shrieked as he realized the metal basket was heading right for him. Even though he desperately tried to shield his head, the basket hit its target perfectly, knocking him square onto the floor. By then, Steven, his attention caught by the ruckus, had returned to the pair of gems and was looking in shock at the downed salesman.

"Peridot, what did you do?" he said, examining the man. "You can't just throw metal baskets at people!"

"Um, Steven, we should probably go," said Peridot as she noticed several security guards running towards them from the distance.

"We can't just leave this guy here!" exclaimed Steven. "He might be hurt!"

"There's not much we can do!" yelped Lapis. The security guards drew closer.

"Uh, here!" Steven hastily licked his hand and slapped his wet palm on the man's forehead. Peridot quickly helped him off the ground and the group ran for it. The security guards were gaining on them, and the trio could hear their yells.

"Stop in the name of the Baby Mart law!" shouted one of them. The three renegades rushed to the exit door and ran until the security guards gave up the chase. Lapis spoke as they all slumped over, panting from the effort of running.

"I guess we're not buying the furniture from them."

oooOOOooo

Steven dug through a huge pile of junk, trying to uncover any furniture there was. He had been rummaging through Amethyst's terribly messy room for a couple of hours in an attempt to get furniture for the baby's room from there. Finally his efforts were rewarded when he unearthed a large wooden crib and a baby playpen gate.

"Found something!" he called as he dug up said items. The other three gems present in the room looked over at his discovery.

"See, I told you there was some stuff in here under all the junk!" said Amethyst, jumping down from a towering trash pile she had been sitting on. She examined the crib's frame. "Wow, this is in real good shape!"

"So do you think we could borrow it?" asked Lapis as Amethyst continued to carefully study the crib.

"Sure you can. Just needs some new bedding and you're all set," said Amethyst, patting the wooden frame of the piece of furniture. "I think we might have some stuff you can use for that."

oooOOOooo

"Oh, this was Steven's old crib padding!" said Pearl lovingly, pulling a soft blanket-like thing out of the box she had been digging through. She held it up in front of her with a smile. "This used to be in Steven's crib when he was a baby!"

"Was the crib Steven's, too?" inquired Peridot curiously. Pearl raised an eyebrow.

"What crib?" she asked. Peridot was confused now.

"Uh, the crib Amethyst gave us..." she answered. Pearl's puzzled expression turned to one of remembrance.

"Oh, yes, that one. Yes, that was Steven's. I forgot Amethyst took it into her room for...I don't remember why." She folded up the crib padding and handed it to Lapis. Continuing to rummage through the overstuffed box, Pearl found one of Steven's old baby toys. Interestingly enough, it was a small pink lion, similar in looks to the real lion Steven had now.

"How adorable!" cooed Pearl, examining the lion toy. "Steven used to play with this all the time!" She put the lion on top of the folded crib padding Lapis was holding. The pale white gem looked through the masses of items in the box, picking through the things delicately. The pile of old toys and baby stuff in Lapis's arms got bigger and bigger.

"I think this is enough," Lapis finally spoke up, putting the massive pile of items in her hands down on the table. "Thanks, but I'm not sure we need a lot." Agreeing with her partner, Peridot nodded.

"Oh, of course. It's all right if you don't use everything," said Pearl with a nod. Peridot grabbed the pile off the table again and waved to Steven as her and Peridot left.

Peridot couldn't help but let a grin spread across her face as they walked down the steps away from the house. Lapis glanced over at her.

"What?" asked the taller of the pair with an amused look.

"Nothing." Peridot looked away. "It's just... this is all coming together, you know? Things just got real." Lapis nodded in understanding with a small smile on her face. Smiles could be extremely contagious, as she often found. Peridot shifted the huge pile of miscellaneous baby items in her hands and continued to walk.

Peridot's sore feet throbbed. She wasn't used to walking from place to place, as she usually stayed at the barn. The times she did travel in her life, she had had a spaceship or Lapis to help her fly. Now that Lapis was in such a fragile condition, they both agreed on only walking to get to whichever destination they were visiting.

They reached the barn after the treacherous journey through the city on foot. Lapis looked around at all the buildings and shops, noting the names of each one. Peridot, however, sweated under the debilitating rays of the sun and the heavy load of items for the new child. Both trudged through the streets and finally reached the familiar red barn they called home.

Pumpkin yapped excitedly as they entered the barn. Peridot dropped the heavy load of materials with a relieved sigh. Her breathing was labored and her face sweaty.

Pumpkin threw himself about the gems' feet in happiness at their arrival. Lapis smiled and knelt down to stroke his bright orange head. The sound of Pumpkin's ecstatic barking filled the barn.

"So let's get this room done, shall we?" asked Peridot, looking over at Lapis..The gem in question was busy staring off into space, one hand placed absentmindedly on her midsection. She quickly snapped back to focus when she realized Peridot was talking to her.

"What? Oh, yes, the room. Yeah, we should probably do that now." Her hand slowly caressed her stomach, where the baby was causing a very slight bulge. Peridot, with a huff of annoyance, grabbed the huge stack of things again and followed Lapis towards the ladder.

"Um... how are we doing this?"

Lapis looked back, remembered that someone with an armfull of baby things couldn't climb a ladder, and went into a state of deep thought.

"Hmm... well, we could have one of us up the ladder and one down and the one at the bottom hands things up to the top," she suggested. Peridot thought this through, and, seeing as it was the only logical option either of them could think of, agreed upon it.

It was only when she was lifting a massive heap of disassembled pieces of crib over her head that she realized the downside of the plan.

"I don't think... I can hold this... much longer," she struggled to say, the weight of the wooden crib pieces making it almost impossible to breathe.

"I know, I just can't get a good hold on them from up here!" called Lapis. She wrapped her arms around the pile and began to lift, only to discover that her grasp on them was slipping. She quickly placed them back onto Peridot's outstretched arms.

"Sorry!" Lapis leaned down again in an attempt to grab the pieces when she felt herself slipping off the ledge. A gasp escaped her throat as she gripped the ledge with her fingers.

"Peridot!" she said hastily. The addressed gem threw down the pile of wood she had been holding and held out her arms quickly. Lapis, despite her efforts, tumbled down and fell directly into Peridot's waiting arms.

"We should be more careful," said Lapis matter-of-factly as she hurriedly stood up and brushed off her skirt. Peridot nodded, still looking shocked over what had just happened.

"Yeah." She looked over at Lapis with wide eyes. "Are you OK?"

"Yes. I'm... I'm fine." Lapis gestured to the pile of wood that was the disassembled crib. "We'd better get this up here."

Within several hours, they had successfully transferred all the items from down to upstairs and had begun arranging the furniture in the room. Smiles tugged at the two's lips as they decorated, feeling everything start to become a reality.

 **A/N: Extremely late and not the best I've written, but I like it. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter finally being out. I will try to write as fast as humanly possible for the next chapters in order to make up for the lack of updating recently. Don't worry, more bits of plot will be revealed soon. Until next time, bye for now.**


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